Reply by WibblyPig

Sort of looks like cherry and I don’t know enough about alder to say yes or no. However, cherry darkens with exposure to the sun while alder doesn’t.

Plane, sand and finish a piece of wood then tape a piece of thick paper over one half of it. Put it in the sun for a day or two and then remove the paper. If the exposed side is noticeably darker, it’s probably cherry.

-- Steve, Webster Groves, MO "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."